The final piece of my countdown puzzle is as always, my annual mixtape. Coming up with a songs of the year list is just too overhwhelming (hell, I have a hard enough time with the albums), so I like to put out a mix of the songs that defined the year in music for me. This year I managed to fit 18 songs into my 80 minute CD-R, but these are not necessarily my favorite 18 songs of the year. As a matter of fact, this was an especially tough year to figure out my mixtape because some of my favorite songs were just way too long and took up too much space. That’s the reason you won’t see any Titus Andronicus, Joanna Newsom, Sufjan, or LCD Soundsystem songs. There’s also some great songs I left off because the band had previously been on a mixtape and I wanted to get some new blood on to the mix this year.
Anyway, to the stats: As I already said, there’s 18 songs on this year’s mix. Only 5 of the songs come from albums that made my top 10, and 6 from 11 thru 25 albums. That means only 11 of the 18 songs come from albums in my top 25. That certainly has something to do with all the great tracks this year, but is also because, as I stated, I wanted to mix it up a little this year. (Pun intended? Yes.) The lowest ranked album with a song on the mix is “July Flame” from Laura Veirs’s album of the same name, which chimed in at #59 in my final rankings. I don’t have any songs from EPs, which is a rarity for my mixes.
So there you go. Below you can find the songs that will be spinning around my car’s cd player for the next few weeks, whenever I forget to bring my ipod with me. As I always remind people, this is not a ranking. The songs are listed in order of how they appeared on their respective albums. If you want to see my entire top 25 albums list in one easy place, head on over to my Amazon.com list and check it out (as well as all my lists for the past 10 years). Last, but not least, for the 3rd year in a row Amy Boyd has created my Mixtape album art for me. I’m taking care of her cat, so, it’s the least she could do. If you know her or ever happen to randomly meet her, tell her what an awesome job she did, once again.
[“World Sick” – Broken Social Scene :: Forgiveness Rock Record]
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[“Floating Vibes” – Surfer Blood :: Astro Coast]
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[“Go do” – Jónsi :: Go]
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[“Excuses” – The Morning Benders :: Big Echo]
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[“July Flame” – Laura Veirs :: July Flame]
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[“Airplanes” – Local Natives :: Gorilla Manor]
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[“Crash Years” – The New Pornographers :: Together]
Titus Andronicus – The Monitor[XL; released 3/9/2010]
“The enemy is everywhere.”
“Titus Andronicus Forever”
Using the American Civil War as a metaphor for personal internal strife is really nothing new. In fact, it’s actually a pretty tired cliche. Generally, if a band tries to pull off something of that caliber, it’s seen as an incredibly overblown attempt at self-importance and quite pretentious. So how then is Titus Andronicus able to pull off a concept album loosely based on events of the Civil War to the point where it seems not only genuine, but also original? Answer: I don’t know exactly. But, with The Monitor, they sure as hell do. And in doing so, they’ve created the best album of 2010.
One thing that certainly doesn’t hurt is the fact that the album absolutely rocks. There is no shortage of riffs one bit, and it contains an abundance of hooks that many rock bands would spend an entire career searching for. Every song is a go-by for sing along anthems, complete with massive choruses that just urge you to belt from the top of your lungs “It’s still us against them!” over and over again as lead singer Patrick Stickles does to close out album centerpiece “Four Score and Seven”. There’s some Irish jig type sounds in the music, but it’s the Springsteen influence (and the Civil War motif, obviously) that make this a truly great American rock album. For an album that is so intelligent and clearly was labored on in fine detail, it’s amazing how natural and fun the entire thing sounds. The emotion and angst heard in Stickles vocals is that of legends and really is what keeps the album grounded as a personal experience but nothing that ever really comes across as too self-indulgent.
The 10 tracks of The Monitor clock in at 65 minutes thanks to half the tracks passing the 7 minute mark. A release of that length can usually come across as exhausting, but for The Monitor, there really is no better word to describe it other than epic. We hear that term thrown around quite often (hell, I’ve probably used it numerous times during this very countdown), but no offense to any other so called “epic” releases this year, you’ve got nothing on The Monitor; nor does any album released in the past 3 or 4 years. The raw and gritty nature of this album is something you can truly sense throughout its 10 tracks. The tears and sweat put into it are truly palpable, as is the blood spilled on the battlefield. With all that said, it still comes back to the music. In any album I name as my album of the year, there’s often a moment that just gets to me and offers a moment of pure joy that pretty much nails it down as my album of the year. Well, there’s numerous moments of joy on The Monitor, but the one that gets me the most comes about an hour into the disc, during the 14 minute closer “The Battle of Hampton Roads”. After a buildup featuring some incredible lyrics, awesome little guitar solos, and a final breakdown consisting of the simple refrain “Please don’t ever leave,” we reach the climax: an instrumental outro when none other than bagpipes show up to perform a solo. Bagpipes! What an amazingly poignant way to close out not just any album, but this album. It gives me chills every time. The bagpipes eventually come to an end and we’re left with yet another set of guitar riffs that an entire album could be made out of. So when all is said and done, the reasons a band like Titus Andronicus could pull off such an ambitious project like this is actually pretty clear: just put your heart into it and have a blast. It really isn’t all that new of a concept, and if the listener puts in the same effort, he or she will get just as much out of it as Titus Andronicus did.
Arcade Fire – The Suburbs [Merge; released 8/3/2010]
“These days, my life, I feel it has no purpose. But late at night the feelings swim to the surface.”
“Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)”
I once heard Matthew Weiner state that when he was searching for a house to use as the Draper household on the set of his show Mad Men, one of the characteristics the house had to have was a red door. For some reason that comment stuck with me, because it just seemed like an example of the small details that make that show so incredible and one of the best shows on television the last few years. He never explained his reasoning, but I like to think having a red door on an otherwise perfect “American Dream” looking house symbolizes the tension within its walls. When I first popped in The Suburbs, and the title track opened the album, all I could think about was how simple a song it was, but how much tension lied beneath its straightforward exterior. That Weiner comment came to mind, because The Suburbs is the house of Mad Men and its red door all wrapped into one magnificent album.
Arcade Fire’s first album, Funeral, was immensely personal and displayed the youthful exuberance, but veteran musicianship that instantly made the Canadian group a fan favorite. (And a perfect fit for their role in the movie Where the Wild Things Are.) Their follow up album, Neon Bible, wasn’t nearly as introspective, focusing its attention much more outward, attacking the usual worldly piñatas of religion and politics among other things. While it was still a great album, it was a much more exhausting listen, and became bogged down by it’s overblown themes. The Suburbs falls more in line with Funeral, actually returning to many of the ideas that made Funeral so stunning, only this time those ideas are from the perspective of people just a little bit older. No longer are they digging tunnels from one house to another; this time they’re choosing sides as part of their “Suburban War”. As a child, you want to get away from it all, but inevitably you return and become what you always hated. It’s a vicious cycle, and one that creates a hell of an album.
It’s hard to say if The Suburbs will have that standout track of anthemic proportions such as “Wake Up” or “No Cars Go” that have become sing-along staples at Arcade Fire shows. Perhaps, in time, “Ready to Start” will rise to that kind of level, or maybe “Rococo”, but it’s hard to imagine an arena full of hipsters singing their hearts out to a song that is criticizing their very lifestyle. The U2 and Coldplay-esque “We Used To Wait” is a candidate, but if there is any decency in this world, the song that will stand above all others on this album is the enchanting “Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)”, my song of the year. As important as they are to the core of Arcade Fire’s sound, Régine Chassangne vocals have never really done it for me. However, “Sprawl II” is easily her best performance and a moment that showcases her vulnerable yet sweetly confident talent. Hearing her defiantly state “They’re screaming at us ‘We don’t need your kind!'” just gets me every time…as does the chorus…and the key change. It’s just so glorious, all the while being infused with a driving pop music rhythm. It’s the most danceable song the band has ever created, and thus, easily one of their most fun. Every Arcade Fire album has been a masterpiece up to this point, and all for different reasons. The Suburbs stands on its own as an incredible work of art; ambitious yet accessible, but finely tuned with so many details that unpacking all it’s layers is nothing that can be done overnight. This is an album not only to enjoy in the moment but also to come back later on for further exploration, an impressive accomplishment indeed. Matthew Weiner would be proud.
[“Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)” – The Suburbs]
#3) The National – High Violet [4AD; released 5/10/2010]
“I still owe money, to the money, to the money I owe”
“Bloodbuzz Ohio”
Growing up churched as I have, I’ve heard plenty of sermons that have had an impact on me, however, one of my favorites is a sermon I heard a couple times in college entitled “Ministry of the Mundane”. Without getting too preachy here, the sermon speaks to God’s presence in the smallest details in our lives and not just the huge events. (This sermon was used as a way to counter the huge Christian Revival events that pop up all over the place, especially the Bible Belt…but I digress.) What I loved about it is that it showed the significance of day to day events and the ability to get as much out of that as some huge “Look at me!” undertaking. Considering how much that speaks to me, it’s no wonder that The National have become one of my favorite bands, due to their “Music of the Mundane” as I shall forever now call it. The National sing about things that effect all of us, cause they have all been there too. Lead singer Matt Berninger used to work in a typical office job and those experiences have lead to his “blue collar” outlook on many of his tunes. It’s amazing what happens when you can relate to a band and what they’re singing about, and of course it doesn’t hurt that the music they write is damn good too. High Violet is the follow up to Boxer, my album of the year in 2007, and prior to Boxer The National had a tendency to release albums known as growers, meaning, you needed to put in the time in order for it to burrow under your skin. Boxer came along and was their most immediate release, but High Violet falls more into the “grower” category, and doesn’t suffer a single bit for it. There’s still the immediate pop songs such as “Bloodbuzz Ohio” and the Sufjan Stevens assisted “Afraid of Anyone”. However, also present are songs like “Sorrow” and “Little Faith” that are no less beautiful despite their lack of an obvious hook. What they do have though, is incredible and driving percussion, which is once again a great strength for the Brooklyn 5-piece. High Violet is the most mature release yet from this group, who as they age, have continually been able to find the influences to write their brooding anthems, something that must be easier said than done, because while writing about the mundane in our lives is not a groundbreaking idea, no one can seem to do it like The National.
[“Bloodbuzz Ohio” – High Violet]
#4) Joanna Newsom – Have One On Me [ Drag City; released 2/23/2010]
“Be at peace, baby, and be gone.”
“Baby Birch”
Listening to Joanna Newsom’s epic 2006 release Ys, you could sense what an accomplishment it was and that it certainly deserved to be considered one of the best releases that year, however it wasn’t an album that was easy to come back to. Consisting of only 5 tracks, Ys still clocked in at just under an hour thanks to its swirling songs that hovered around 10 minutes long. It truly was an album that worked best as one piece of art, basically a symphony expressed in 5 movements. There really was no where to jump in, and as brilliant as it was, it was an exhausting and overwhelming listen that took some effort. This is why when news broke that Newsom’s follow up album would actually be a triple album with over 2 hours of music, expectations were understandably reserved. However, with Have One On Me, Newsom took everything that made Ys an ambitious success and broke it into little pieces spread throughout 18 songs that the listener can drop in and listen for a while and not feel like he or she is missing any context. There are still plenty of lengthy tracks that harken back to Ys, such as the title track and “Kingfisher”, but for everyone of those, there’s a track like “Baby Birch” that, while sitting at almost 10 minutes long, goes by like a pop song thanks to it’s dearth of great moments spread throughout. Newsom’s patented harp playing and squeaky voice are still the prevalent feature of Have One On Me, as they should be, but also on display is her inspired piano playing, most notably on “Good Intentions Paving Co” and “Soft as Chalk” which give another glimpse into the many talents Newsom encompasses. Thanks to a renewed focus on song-structure, Have One On Me is a much more accessible release for Newsom, but one that doesn’t sacrifice the scope of her compositions. It almost comes across as what her greatest hits collection would sound like, accentuating all the unique preciousness, confidence, and lyrical ability that sets her apart from all other singer-songwriters.
#5) Sufjan Stevens – The Age of Adz [Asthmatic Kitty; released 10/12/2010]
“For at least I deserve the respect of a kiss goodbye.”
“I Walked”
If you were lucky enough to see Sufjan Stevens in concert during his tour for The Age of Adz, you may have noticed a very subtle, but meaningful moment at the beginning of his show. Now, I can’t speak for all his concerts, but at The Tabernacle in November, Sufjan emerged on stage wearing his patented butterfly wings and proceeded to open the show with the beautifully aged, and fan favorite, “Seven Swans”. Immediately after the song, Sufjan shed his wings before going into “Age of Adz” and continuing down the path of playing his new material for the majority of the event. If there’s ever been a more symbolic gesture to start a concert, I haven’t seen it. The Age of Adz starts in similar fashion with the finger-picking “Futile Devices” before changing gears into the electronic mish-mash that is “Too Much”. This isn’t the Sufjan you’ve grown up with, this version is over the top absurdity, but certainly not lacking the same ambition that brought us the down defunct “50 States Project.” In the 5 years since Illinois, Sufjan was in jeopardy of becoming a cult hero; staying relatively reclusive and only releasing his work in odd forms whether that be a Christmas album, or a musical dedicated to the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway. He hinted as possibly never making another album, and also fought a serious viral infection that affected his nervous system. The influences and experiences were aplenty for Sufjan to create an album of the scale of The Age of Adz and he tied it all together by focusing much of his attention for this album on schizophrenic artist Royal Robertson, whose paranoid sci-fi tendencies are seen in not only the album artwork, but also throughout the tunes. If there was ever a time for Sufjan to get back to the electronic experimentation that characterized his early work such as Enjoy Your Rabbit, this was it. It may have taken an unexpected journey and influences for Stevens to craft this masterpiece, but I’m convinced that this is the album Sufjan always wanted to make, he just finally figured out the best way how.
[“I Walked” – The Age of Adz]
#6) Beach House – Teen Dream [Sub Pop; released 1/26/2010]
“I’ll take care of you, that’s true”
“Take Care”
Last year, Beach House’s lead-woman, Victoria Legrand made a guest appearance on Veckatimest, the wonderful album from Grizzly Bear and my #1 album of 2009. What made that album a monumental step forward for Grizzly Bear was its focus toward melodies and accessibility, something their previous albums were missing. Whether intentional or not, those songwriting techniques clearly rubbed off on Legrand, because with Teen Dream, Beach House has unveiled their masterpiece due in large part to the same nuances that led to Veckatimest’s success. Baltimore’s Beach House has always been a creator of lush dream-pop, but up to this point their albums were plagued by a little too much shoegazing and not enough memorable melodies. Legrand and bandmate Alex Scally could always write a beautiful song, usually one per album, but always seemingly casts among a deluge of forgettable tracks. However, with proper use of Legrand’s hypnotizing voice and a less meandering sonic haze in the music, the potential could be seen for a truly transcendent album , which is why their previous work was so frustrating. Teen Dream sees the realization of that potential with its 10 tracks chock-full of mesmerizing melodies, and much less of the boring ambiance that bogged down previous work. This is an album that resonates with the listener and start to finish it is easily the most consistent Beach House release, and one of the most consistent releases of the year. Beach House always had a devoted fan base who were drawn to their brand of fuzz-pop, however, with Teen Dream there should be an influx of new fans, me included, who have been waiting for the duo to release an album just like this.
#7) Local Natives – Gorilla Manor [Frenchkiss; released 2/16/2010]
“Oh, to see it with my own eyes.”
“Wide Eyes”
Hands down, the year’s best debut album comes via the West Coast thanks to the Los Angeles 5-piece Local Natives. In a sense, you can consider Gorilla Manor the West Coast version of recent indie successes Vampire Weekend, Fleet Foxes, and Grizzly Bear. Local Natives takes a bit of each of those bands and makes it their own, also mimicking a bit of the percussion techniques from fellow Californian’s The Dodos. Oftentimes, leaning too heavily on your influences can spread a band too thin, but honestly there’s no way to tell if Local Natives have indeed developed their sound based on the nuances of others because everything they do seems to be a strength of their very own doing. The harmonies, percussion, and afro-pop tendencies are nothing new in this current indie rock climate, but Local Natives make it seem like they came up with it first. Maybe it is the West Coast, surf rock spin they put on their music that sets them apart, or maybe it’s just that these are 5 excellent musicians who write supremely confident songs well beyond their years. Right from opening track “Wide Eyes” Gorilla Manor is a barrage songs that each could be their own single. It remarkable consistency rarely seen in a debut album, and they do it with such youthful exuberance and assurance that it seems like they aren’t even trying.
[“Wide Eyes” – Gorilla Manor]
#8) LCD Soundsystem – This Is Happening [Virgin; released 5/18/2010]
“Be honest with me, honestly, unless it hurts my feelings.”
“Drunk Girls”
James Murphy’s 3rd album as LCD Soundsystem starts off with a simple beat and synth rhythm while Murphy quietly sings along almost to the point where the listener feels the need to turn up the volume a bit. It’s an unassuming way to start a dance-rock album, but of course, around the 3 minute mark the song erupts into a full-fledged dance song and we’re knee deep into yet another LCD Soundsystem experience. You would think the first few minutes of This Is Happening would be an inauspicious start to the follow up to one of the most critically acclaimed albums of the last decade, but from one of the most atypical rock stars and producers in the business, this should come as no surprise. By the time it’s 9 minutes are up, “Dance Yrself Clean” is one of the finest tracks of the year, but it’s not until the follow up track, “Drunk Girls” that we given a glimpse into what makes This Is Happening such a rich and rewarding listen: Murphy’s brutal honesty. Over and over he sings “I believe in waking up together”, something so simple, but also something so personal. The track ends with Murphy begging “Be honest with me, honestly…unless it hurts my feelings”, heart wrenching stuff. Later on track “I Can Change”, Murphy pleads “I can change, I can change, I can change, if it helps you fall in love”, you just can fake earnestness like that. It’s the self-awareness of Murphy and the confidence in how he presents it that makes This Is Happening his most mature work yet. It doesn’t hurt that vocally, he is on top of his game and the music’s detail and production takes a backseat to none of LCDSS’s previous work. If this is indeed the final LCD Soundsystem album, as has been rumored, it will go down as Murphy’s most personal work. What a gift to receive.
#9) Deerhunter – Halcyon Digest[4AD; released 9/27/2010]
“When you were young, you never knew which way you’d go. What once was grace, now undertows.”
“Desire Lines”
Hidden beneath the noise-rock textures of Deerhunter’s previous albums has always been hints at the type of great pop Bradford Cox and company could put out if they wanted. With Halcyon Digest, the Atlanta, Georgia quartet has rewarded listeners with such an album, and the results are striking. The ambient-punk tendencies that band likes to characterize themselves with still reamain, but songs like first single “Revival”, centerpiece “Desire Lines”, and the stunningly heartbreaking “Helicopter” show just how well this group can write straightforward songs while still maintaining their psych-pop familiarity that fans will certainly recognize from albums past. Those three songs are spread throughout the disc separated by 8 other haunting masterpieces including the fantastic opener “Earthquake” identified by an odd clacking and electronic loops overlaying an acoustic guitar and eerie vocals to the 7 minute epic closer “He Would Have Laughed”, a tribute to the late Jay Reatard. Halcyon Digest is an album about life and death and the memories made along the way and what you do with them. Sonically encapsulating that nostalgia in these 11 tracks is something that clearly was no afterthought, and thanks to the fine intimate production, Deerhunter has created their tour de force album at this point in their career.
[“Desire Lines” – Halcyon Digest]
#10) The Walkmen – Lisbon [Fat Possum; 9/14/2010]
“You took the high road, I couldn’t find you up there.”
“Angela Surf City”
This is the 2nd straight release from The Walkmen to find its way to #10 on my year end list, the previous being 2008’s You & Me, and considering Lisbon is just an extension of everything the band did so well on You & Me, it should come as no surprise to see it ranked so high. At this point in their careers, we all know what The Walkmen are selling: gritty, emotional garage rock anthems full of the wailing Dylan-like vocals of lead singer Hamilton Leithauser. These track are no different, featuring the jangly instrumentation leading to powerful climactic moments all the while encompassing the sorrowful notions that maybe only fellow New Yorkers, The National, can even come close to matching. From opening track “Juveniles”, Lisbon is instantly recognizable as a Walkmen release and the confidence always seen in these guy’s songs carries on from there. Lisbon will not to do anything to further The Walkmen’s musical journey, as it doesn’t really break any new ground for the group, but it’s clear these guys still have a lot to get off their chest and if continuing to write these mournful but rockin’ anthems is still where they need to be, I’m not complaining.
So now the countdown can begin with the 15 albums that make up #11 through #25. The only albums you’ll see a little blurb for here are the albums that fall in this range that I’ve yet to do a write up for on the blog. For the rest of the albums, you can click on the band name to link to the post where they were mentioned.
#25) Wolf Parade – Expo 86
The third release (and possibly last) from the Montreal group still doesn’t quite reach the heights of their wonderful 2005 debut, but Expo 86 does get back to what made that album so good, while ridding themselves of the over-ambition and 2008’s decent, but disappointing At Mount Zoomer. Spencer Krug is one of my favorite indie rock artists, and I always liked his stuff more than co-founder Dan Boeckner, however, on this album Boeckner is the star, although the album’s best moment does come from Krug in “What Did My Lover Say? (It Always Had To Go This Way)”.
[“What Did My Lover Say? (It Always Had To Go This Way)” – Expo 86]
#24) The Tallest Man on Earth – The Wild Hunt
It’s pretty much impossible to listen to The Tallest Man on Earth (aka, Kristian Matsson) and not get a Dylan-esque vibe. It’s a comparison that has followed Matsson to this point in his career, and certainly won’t stop if he continues down the path of The Wild Hunt, the 2nd full-length album from the Swedish singer-songwriter. Mattson’s folk is masterfully done and incredibly soulful and heartfelt in not only the music, but especially the lyrics.
[“The Wild Hunt” – The Wild Hunt]
#23) The Besnard Lakes – The Besnard Lakes Are the Roaring Night
Montreal’s The Besnard Lakes follow up their breakout 2007 release, The Besnard Lakes are The Dark Horse, by picking up right where they left off with another set of eerie post-rock tracks that do nothing but validate the brilliance of this quartet. The Besnard Lakes Are The Roaring Night is more of the atmospheric physchadelic rock that made Dark Horse so intriguing, and while many bands try to accomplish this sound, few are able to with such majesty. It’s a beautiful album, creating numerous soundscapes, while not sacrificing melody.
[“Albatross” – The Besnard Lakes Are The Roaring Night]
#22) Vampire Weekend – Contra
Released all the way back in January, it’s easy to overlook Contra, Vampire Weekend’s 2nd full-length album, as one of the bigger releases of the year. Following up their very successful and highly hyped debut album was no easy task, and while I don’t think Contra pops quite as well as their debut, it does accentuate all the tendencies that made their debut a “love it, or hate it” release. And I respect the hell out of that. Contra is Vampire Weekend putting their feet to the gas pedal and emphasizing all their eccentricities to the max, and not taking the time to look back at what people are saying…because they just don’t care.
#20) Frightened Rabbit – The Winter of Mixed Drinks
Frightened Rabbit’s 2008 release, The Midnight Organ Fight, was so immensely emotional that trying to follow it up would be no easy task. The Winter of Mixed Drinks only comes up slightly short of Organ Fight‘s granduer due to a more arena rock and polished sound rather than the raw folksiness that added to Organ Fight‘s charm. That’s not to say this album isn’t still packed with emotionally devastating ballads, because it most certainly is, thanks in large part to the vulnerability found in the Scottish vocals. As long as those vocals continue to find their way to the forefront, and these guys continue to write some impressive personal tunes, I don’t see there ever being too big of a drop off from album to album.
[“Swim Until You Can’t See Land” – The Winter of Mixed Drinks]
Avigdor Zahner-Isenberg is the latest prodigy Sub Pop records is hoping to strike gold with. Well, if the 19 year old’s self-titled debut album as Avi Buffalo is any indication, they may have done just that. Based in Long Beach, Avi Buffalo combines the west coast sound with the northwest indie rock sound seen in many of his current and former labelmates. Lyrically, Avi writes about what you expect every 19 year old to write about: sex. So there’s still some growing up to do there, but the earnestness and confidence in his lyrics can not be denied. There is a sweetness to this music that makes it very likable, but the songwriting techniques for a group of teenagers is the most impressive thing.
#13) Kanye West – My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
Anyone that knows me, knows that I’m not a rap/hip-hop guy. At all. However, in the last couple years I have given into opening my mind a bit to the genre. So, the fact that I have a rap album this high, should show you just how much I think of it. Everyone knows about Kanye. We all know how self-absorbed and narcissistic he is, as well as pretty much any other synonym for self-indulgent you can come up with. But honestly, it’s something he’s embraced and it’s become part of his songwriting, to the point of being self-deprecating. That feeling is captured perfectly on My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy in some of the most deeply personal artwork you’re going to find as all of the experiences he’s gone through in the last couple years come forward in cathartic effect. Oh, and the album consists of some very fine hip-hop songs as well.
[“Dark Fantasy” – My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy]
#12) Jónsi – Go
The debut album from Sigur Rós frontman Jónsi starts off with a series of bleeps and bloops on song “Go Do” before fading into the more majestic soundscape and vocals you’d come to expect from the Icelandic artist. It’s barely one minute in and your ears have already been given a treat unlike anything else you will hear this year. The Nico Muhly arrangements only add to the gigantic scope of Jónsi’s music, while Jónsi’s naivety and sweetness make this an exhilarating listen. At times Go is as vibrant and emotionally stirring as the best work of Sigur Rós and makes their “indefinite hiatus” a little bit easier to deal with.
First up is my honorable mentions that couldn’t quite crack my top 25. These are not necessarily the next highest ranked albums after 25th. I just felt like these albums deserved a mention for one reason or another, but had yet to be mentioned previously in a post.
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Free Energy – Stuck on Nothing
Free Energy’s brand of power pop is incredibly infectious and there’s plenty to love in the debut album from the Philadelphia 5-piece. Produced by James Murphy (LCD Soundsystem), Stuck on Nothing shows a great knack for songwriting, featuring some super catchy hooks gleaming with confidence. Free Energy isn’t going to change rock ‘n roll, but Murphy sure saw enough in them to sign them to his DFA record label, because sometimes just creating some super fun music in traditional ways is all you need, especially when it’s done this well.
[“Free Energy” – Stuck on Nothing]
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Delorean – Subiza
Delorean is the kind of band that I have grown to appreciate in the last few years. The Spanish quartet is a dance-rock band which is a genre that I used to have no interest in. However, this isn’t your typical dance music, and it’s not something you’ll be clubbing to, but they’re version of electro-pop reminds me of a mix of Passion Pit and M83, with a little bit of Animal Collective thrown in. Subiza is their 3rd full-length album, probably their best, and includes one of the finest songs of 2010 in “Real Love”.
[“Real Love” – Subiza]
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Best Coast – Crazy for You
Crazy for You is the highly anticipated debut album from the Los Angeles trio founded by Bethany Cosentino and Bobb Bruno, and while I don’t rate this nearly as high as others, that doesn’t mean I don’t find it enjoyable. Best Coast writes lo-fi beach rock music full of catchy little melodies crammed into 2 and a half minutes or so. Crazy for You flies by at just over half an hour, and while my main criticism is the lyrics that seem like they come from the diary of a 12 year old, I do have to give Cosentino some credit for the brutal honesty she exudes in her songs.
[“When I’m With You” – Crazy for You]
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Wild Nothing – Gemini
One of the more under the radar releases this year is the excellent debut album from Jack Tatum, aka Wild Nothing. The Blacksburg, Virginia artist is another lo-fi shoegazing type band much like last year’s indie darlings The Pains of Being Pure at Heart. Wild Nothing continues in that C86 style and Gemini features some very well written pop songs especially the excellent “Chinatown” which is one of the songs of the year and shows the talent and potential of Tatum.
[“Chinatown” – Gemini]
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Dishonorable Mentions:
I really can’t come up with too many albums to put here this year, which is a very good thing. That’s not to say there weren’t albums I didn’t like, but for the most part I enjoyed a little bit of every album I got this year. And while there were some disappointments, I just don’t think they deserve to fall in this category. So, what I’m going to do is feature one album that I will call a dishonorable mention, and then do a little write up on another album that you won’t see on my countdown which I’m sure will make some people angry, but I felt the need to explain myself.
The Whigs – In the Dark
The year’s lone dishonorable mention comes from the Athens based rockers The Whigs. It’s not like I was expecting a whole lot from this album, but I did enjoy their 2008 debut, Mission Control, so I was at least looking forward to hearing some more of their southern rock brand. But man, they just plain dropped the ball on this one, creating some uninteresting generic tunes, completely lacking inspiration. Even when some of the songs could work, the production is just dreadful. And I mean dreadful. The title track is the best song and really the only one that I could see fitting on Mission Control, but it’s not enough to save this mess. The sophomore slump strikes again.
So let me start by saying this is not a dishonorable mention. This is an album that ended up ranking in my top 50, and that I did enjoy listening to. However, as much ridiculous hype as this album got, I figured some people might wonder why it wasn’t going to show up in my countdown, so I wanted to give a quick little blurb sharing my thoughts. There’s no denying the talent of this group, especially for a debut album, and often the lyrics do convey a great deal of passion (although, after a while it starts to come across as just plain whining and wears me down. And there are a few lines that irk me, like a lot). The harmonies and ho-downs (or fauxdowns) are enjoyable, but when you do them on EVERY SINGLE TRACK with pretty much the same formula, it can be a bit much and border on self-indulgence. Now, as a fan of indie rock, I’m pretty good at looking the other way regarding self-indulgence, but sometimes, and it’s just hard to ignore the pretentiousness…and that’s the feeling I get with this album. The formula most of these tracks follow (slow acoustic start, building to the fauxdown) is actually quite generic, but my God, do people eat it up. Mumford & Sons take a lot from their influences, which I don’t have a problem with, but I just hate that the bands that pop in my head when listening to M&S have never gotten the same kind of love that these guys have garnered, despite the fact that I think they’re writing much more interesting music. Oh well.
So that’s just the music…I won’t even go too in depth of just how much I question this groups authenticity. I mean we’re talking about 4 guys from the super rich London suburbs, who for some reason decided to play American bluegrass folk. Far be it for me to question the type of music a band wants to play, but when you’ve already stated that your next album could go a completely new direction, I just can’t help but wonder where this is coming from. Can you imagine a band like Brooklyn’s Vampire Weekend (also known for their rich, educated, and preppy upbringing) deciding to play bluegrass music? (And trust me, they could if they wanted.) Absolutely not…it’d be a joke. They have embraced their “preppyness” in their tunes and while their music is certainly that type of corporate indie rock, I give them a pass, because I find it much more genuine.
So there you go. Once again, I don’t think this is a bad album whatsoever, but I also don’t think it deserves nearly the amount of hype it’s getting. There’s soooo much great music out there, and the fact that something like this is what people eat up, just bothers the hell out of me. The Pitchfork review was way too harsh and unfair at times, and frankly, reviews like that is why people despise Pitchfork, but there are certainly parts of it I agree with. The great reviews, on the otherhand, I think are also way off base. This album needs to fall somewhere in between, but if Sigh No More is how people get their jollies, then so be it.
2010 has come and gone, so it’s time for my annual Albums of the Year list. Usually, I like to give a little summary, but I’m done trying to come up with a theme for a given year. Music has become so varied and can mean different things to different people, that trying to pinpoint an overarching idea for all of music is pretty pointless. So I guess that’s a theme in and of itself…so there.
As usual, I’ll start off my countdown by providing a list of all the albums I purchased in some form this year, thus making them eligible for my list. Soundtracks, EPs, live albums, and b-side/rarities releases are once again not eligible. For 2010, I have 81 albums, 76 of which are eligible. There are plenty of albums that I’m sure could have made my list had I purchased them, but just like any year, there’s always a few that slip through the cracks. Over on the right, you can see my schedule over the next few days as I continue my countdown. After the jump, I present my eligible albums (in order of release date).
Posted by Hawkins 
A Round of Sound 